Julian Richer, who speaks openly about how his faith guides him, has transferred 60 per cent of his holding in the business into an employee ownership trust, following in the footsteps of retail giant The John Lewis Partnership.

The move will see him land £9.2 million for the stake, although £3.5 million will be handed straight back to staff as loyalty bonuses.

Each of its 522 employees will pick up £1,000 for every year worked at the firm, meaning an average payout of £8,000.

But there are 39 long-serving staff who have clocked up more than 20 years at the group who will pick up hefty windfalls.

Mr Richer said the “time was right” to hand over the ownership of the business to staff – an announcement that also came as he stepped down from the day-to-day running of the firm.

He said: “I have always planned to leave my company in trust on my death for the benefit of the colleagues in the business.

“Having hit the ripe old age of 60 in March, I felt the time was right, rather than leaving it until I’m not around, to ensure that the transition goes smoothly and I can be part of it.”

A philanthropist, Richer has worked with the Archbishop of York on projects which enable other people to give to those in need.

He came to faith later in life. Speaking to the Guardian, he said: “I was baptised when I was 47 and I’m very proud of that.”

“I call my faith practical…

He was due to take part along with others standing in the South West of England on Wednesday but cathedral bosses have claimed his appearance could pose a risk to public order.

Benjamin hit the headlines when he joked about the rape of Labour MP Jess Phillips – something he refused to apologise for.

Recent public appearances have seen protests against him.

A spokesperson for Exeter Cathedral said: “Under the rules of the Electoral Commission, we may exclude candidates from a non-selective hustings for a number of reasons, including concerns about public order.

“In this case, the cathedral believes that the presence of one particular candidate may cause a risk to public order, given a number of incidents over the last few weeks.”

The cathedral has invited UKIP to find a replacement.

UKIP says the decision is “outrageous” and an affront to democracy.

A full list on candidates standing in the South West elections can be found here.

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The letter turning him down, stated the Bible is “filled with imagery of revenge, destruction, death and violence” and therefore inconsistent with the Iranian’s claim.

Many church leaders criticised the decision while Home Secretary Sajid Javid said it was “totally unacceptable”.

According to the Church Times the training was introduced after the All Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief claimed Home Office staff were making poor decisions.

Speaking to the newspaper, Revd Mark Miller from Stockton who attended the first training session said: “Home Office case-workers have a really difficult job. But there have been a number of bad decisions over the years, highlighted as far back as 2004 by an Evangelical Alliance report, All Together for Asylum Justice.

“I have been involved in training to share some of my experiences of working with Christian conversion, and how to go about assessing whether someone is genuine. In the session, I asked staff what they thought was basic knowledge, but most of what they suggested back to me wasn’t basic knowledge, it was ‘Name the Ten Commandments’, rather than the significance of a faith in Jesus.”

In a statement responding to the training, the Home Office said: “The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection. We are committed to improving the quality and accuracy…